Final Project - B Media Profile Edward R. Murrow. Debra Shearer. Comm 1050 Sec 002 Winter, 2008 Justin Lopinot

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1 Page 1 of 9 Final Project - B Media Profile Edward R. Murrow Comm 1050 Sec 002 Winter, 2008 Justin Lopinot

2 Page 2 of 9 There is no denying that one s life experience and upbringing frames the lens with how one views the world and the events that impact history. It frames our personal and professional interests and associations as well as our judgments about societal issues. This is no less true for journalists. In The Media in Your Life, authors Jean Folkerts, Stephen Lacy and Ann Larabee, define the concept of objectivity in journalism as, to report through a perfect lens uncolored by a reporter s thoughts about a subject. The reality is that that ideal is not likely, given what we know about human nature. A more realistic goal is to report fairly and accurately with a balanced view of the issues. (2008, p. 266). Oftentimes, our life experience and upbringing also drive our ambition and, directly or indirectly, the mark we leave on the world. These elements of human nature can be clearly seen in the life and career of Edward R. Murrow. The influences on Egbert Roscoe Murrow actually go back far beyond his childhood and immediate family. Murrow was descended from a long line of southern Quakers from North Carolina. His great grandfather, Andrew Murrow, was of mixed heritage; his mother was a Cherokee Indian and his father a Quaker minister. Andrew was not only a staunch pacifist and abolitionist in the Quaker tradition but put action to belief when he became a conductor on the Underground Railroad in the pre-civil War days. His mixed heritage also gave him a first person awareness of racism that was transmitted to later generations. The family tradition of outspoken political and social activism continued through Post Civil War Reconstruction and into the early 20 th century. As a result they also experienced personal and economic hardship as they continued to stand up, speak out and fight for lost causes in a state fighting not only to regain economic stability but also to retain its tradition of white rule (Sperber, 1998, p. 1-9).

3 Page 3 of 9 Born in 1908, the boy called Egg by his older brothers eventually changed his name to Edward. But the change of name could not change the influence that his childhood and youth had on his passions and social conscience. Stung by poverty, he was impressed by wealth and power and yet was sensitive the powerlessness of the poor. Exposed to hard physical labor in the logging camps of the Pacific Northwest where he grew up, he maintained a hard driven work ethic and also saw the benefit of union organization and was sensitive to the plight of the worker. The Quaker and Murrow family tradition of daily oral Bible reading instilled not only biblical principles but also established the foundation for his public speaking career. The formal speech patterns and cadence of the King James Version, as well as recognition of the power of scripture gave birth to a love and understanding of the power of words as well. These passions and potential were mentored and encouraged by teachers in high school and college and led to Murrow becoming a Speech Major and formidable debater. But it seems that every professional experience and story that he covered throughout his career also added to the slate of who he was and would influence the next story he wrote or the next path in his career (Sperber, 1998, p ). As a senior at Washington State College he had his first taste of radio broadcasting in a class that was one of the first of its kind in the nation. After graduation he went to work for the National Student Federation of America (NFSA) working with colleges in the U.S. and Europe. It was during his tenure with the NFSA that he first came into contact with the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS). Together they developed a radio show called University on the Air which focused on airing interviews with famous personalities (Jensen, 2000, p ). His work with the NFSA was a new kind of education for Murrow and not always an easy one. He was profoundly affected by the effects of poverty that he witnessed as he traveled across

4 America from university to university. He learned about diversity, regional issues and the Page 4 of 9 attitudes of people outside large cities; an understanding that would influence the national mass media broadcaster he was to become (Sperber, 1998, p. 40). Then, In 1935 Murrow and CBS solidified what would become twenty-six year partnership that would shape not only the future of broadcast media but world history as well. When he joined CBS it was as Director of Talks for CBS radio. Initially his responsibilities included programming issues related to politics, education and other interview topics. He was also responsible for supervising overseas radio broadcasts. One aspect of the overseas job was ensuring news coverage of international events, which were plenty. There were major events occurring in Asia, Europe and Africa. Another was the less than streamlined technological aspects of transmitting broadcasts within a continent as well as across oceans (Sperber, 80). Within a short time, he was assigned to Europe and sent to CBS headquarters in London where he began covering a war that most Americans did not know about, or chose to ignore. But America s isolationist viewpoint was quickly changed by the dramatic rooftop and on-location reports amidst German bombers in the background (Jensen, 2000, p ). His radio broadcast career in Europe during World War II shaped both history and broadcast journalism. In a classic example of media agenda setting, he shaped history. In bringing the events in Europe into American living rooms prior to U.S. involvement in the war he helped shape the discussion about the war and the need for Allied support. He reported on the liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp and the atrocities of Nazi Germany. Nicholas Lemann, writing The Murrow Doctrine for New Yorker magazine, said, During the war, Murrow never had to play the role of the dispassionate reporter. He was an important player in the Allied war effort, and under the circumstances, that did not conflict with his journalistic role.

5 Page 5 of 9 Murrow s special significance was in making Americans see, through his broadcasts about the Blitz, that the European war was not something faraway and irrelevant. (2006) This phase of his career also had a huge impact on broadcast journalism that is still felt today. The manner and style of his broadcasts, with sounds of war in the background is still duplicated today in television broadcasts around the world in network and cable news. From Murrow on London rooftops to imbedded journalists in Iraq, there is virtually nothing that is faraway or irrelevant about war coverage today. During his time in Europe he also mentored and developed the talents of many other CBS correspondents who went on to have esteemed broadcast careers of their own. He further defined broadcast news coverage of war in 1947 when he covered the Korean War as a correspondent for six weeks in This time he took cameras and did in-depth stories on the GI s and conditions on the front; profiling black GI s or tracing the journey of a single pint of blood (Doherty, 2003, p. 75, 168; Jensen, 2000, p. 135). He returned to New York and launched a number of radio news programs such as, As Others See Us, You Are There, CBS Reviews the Press, Hear it Now, and its television successor, See It Now and Person to Person. It was Murrow who created the first documentary unit at CBS. See It Now first aired in November, 1951 and was the first coast to coast live network program. Carl Jensen, writing in Stories that Changed America, said that See It Now took on some of the most contentious issues of the day, including communism, McCarthyism, nuclear testing, political corruption and apartheid in South Africa. It established standards of excellence for TV reporting rarely seen since (2000, p. 135). Of all of Murrow s political accomplishments, his series of reports on Senator Joe McCarthy and his anti-communist crusade are what he is most remembered for. He is noted for his courage and tenacity in pursuit of the story, or as some might say, the truth. In Cold War,

6 Page 6 of 9 Cool Medium, Thomas Doherty asserts that Murrow was neither the first nor did he risk the most in challenging McCarthyism (2003, p. 162). Murrow would likely agree with him. However, it was largely Murrow that ultimately brought him down and it was not due to his courage or tenacity. Rather, Murrow recognized the power of television to convey a story in words and images and he maximized the impact of the story with clever editing and precise timing. The broadcast that was ultimately McCarthy s undoing aired March 9, 1954, and was referred by the press as Good Tuesday. It has also been called Television s Finest Hour. (Doherty, 2003, p. 161; Jensen, 2000, p. 136) In truth, Murrow and producer Fred Friendly carefully crafted their message and built their case in a series of broadcasts related to McCarthy and the House Committee on Un- American Activities before airing the Good Tuesday broadcast. That broadcast was essentially ready for airing approximately four weeks before it actually aired. McCarthy s reign of terror was already in decline at his own hand. Murrow waited for the right time to air the broadcast so as to inflict the most damage to McCarthy s image (Doherty, 2003, p ; Jensen, 2000, p ). His eloquent narration concluding the broadcast was an example of new journalism and narrative tradition at its finest. Murrow s career didn t consist of only hard-hitting, consciousness raising news. His series, Person to Person, was a celebrity interview show that ran for six years, from Murrow recognized the need to pay the bills with advertising revenue and he also knew that many of the controversial documentary subjects that he was so passionate to present were difficult to obtain sponsors for. Advertisers did not want their products associated with nuclear testing, communism or corruption, nor did they want to incur the wrath of their consumers for sponsoring programs with controversial topics. Despite the popularity of the home-spun

7 Page 7 of 9 celebrity interview format, many in the industry criticized Murrow for not upholding the high standards for journalism that his other programs were known for. For him it was a way to stay in the game and continue to tell the stories he thought were important for viewers to hear. But in 1958 See It Now was cancelled by Murrow s long time friend and President of CBS, Bill Paley, explaining that he didn t want this constant stomachache every time you do a controversial subject. This became a strong example to other journalists, then and now, about the high personal cost of taking on controversial topics (Doherty, 2003, p. 179; Jensen, 2000, p. 136). The socialization process of the newsroom could not have been demonstrated any better. He left broadcasting in 1961 and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as President Kennedy s choice to head the United States Information Agency. Concerned that his documentary, Harvest of Shame, which had aired the year before highlighting the conditions of migrant farm workers might harm America s image abroad, Murrow tried to suppress its broadcast overseas (Jensen, 2000, p. 137). His agenda-setting goals had shifted sharply and what had recently been created for one audience, was not part of the agenda for his new audience. His attempt to censor his own material nearly destroyed the impeccable reputation for ethics and journalistic integrity he had built over thirty years. It was another lesson for his fellow journalists and those who would come after him. Over the span of his career he had an impact on what was important in news and how it was told. But, he also created an image of the broadcaster. He developed a trademark in his radio broadcasts which he carried forward into television. He began every broadcast with, This is London. and ended with, Good Night and Good Luck. Other news anchors that have come after him have also created their own unique sign off. Walter Cronkite s CBS sign-off was, And that s the way it is. Chet Huntley and David Brinkley of NBC signed off with,

8 Page 8 of 9 "Good night, Chet. Good night, David; and good night for NBC News" ( Murrow also became a celebrity in his own right. Whether out of the newness of the medium, the historic proportions of the stories he told, or his unique and dramatic narrative style, his image had a certain cache and at times he became part of the story as well. The contributions Edward R. Murrow made to modern media are too vast to be covered in such a brief text. He was a trailblazer in an era of mass media in need of trailblazers. He had vision and insight into the power and possibilities as well as the dangers and pitfalls of this new television frontier. He had the courage of his convictions, not only to tell the stories he felt needed to be told, but also to tell truth to power. It seems that every time he set a new standard for journalism, it was not just in one way but in many ways. He never pretended that the lens that he or anyone else reported through was perfectly uncolored but he showed that no matter, it should be credible, fair and accurate.

9 Page 9 of 9 References Doherty, T. (2003). Cold War, Cool Medium - Television, McCarthyism, and American Culture. New York: Columbia University Press. Folkerts, J., Lacy, S., & Larabee, A. (2008). The Media In Your Life - An Introduction to Mass Communication. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. Jensen, C. (2000). Stories That Changed America - Muckrakers of the Twentieth Century. New York: Seven Stories Press. Lemann, N. (2006, January 23). The Murrow Doctrine. New Yorker, Retrieved April 18, 2008, from Academic Search Premier database. Sperber, A. M. (1998). Murrow His Life and Times. New York: Fordham University Press. TV Acres.com. Retrieved April 18, 2008, from